Blind Sonata
by Tsuki the Wolf
Summary: ""Music is not just a series of notes on a page played on an instrument, but really emotions created by a brilliant person to be made physical in the closest form possible." He said softly, as he gazed through Arthur smiling and Arthur could do nothing but accept this as the complete truth." The story of a blind pianist and the theatre's manager. USUK with minor pairings.


"_Music is not just a series of notes on a page played on an instrument, but really emotions created by a brilliant person to be made physical in the closest form possible." He said softly, as he gazed through Arthur smiling and Arthur could do nothing but accept this as the complete truth._

* * *

The night was wearing on as the lights were lowered within the theatre. It was already nearing eleven and Arthur was nearing completion of his duties. The rest of his workers had already gone home. He moved over to the window on the second floor to gaze at the streetlights illuminating the people walking home from various plays and dining. A layer of snow coated the ground but a majority of the fluff was broken up and battered down from vehicles and pedestrians. Only the bit left near the trees and on the ground was left relatively untouched and even then he could see some of the black muck from the streets on some of it. He sighed and leaned on the handle of his vacuum cleaner, envious of the people. These pedestrians were all couples coming home from their night of Valentine's Day celebrations. Of course tonight he had made plenty of revenue for the place because of how famous they were. This theatre was the most famous concert theatre in the city, after all. An abundance of people had brought their dates to listen to the beautiful music that filled these halls every few days (usually Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturday and Sunday). On weekdays piano concerts were played and weekends held the beauty of orchestras. Arthur could still feel the music vibrating through his figure as he began to hum one of his favourite pieces of the night.

He snapped out of his reverie and turned back to his work. He just needed to finish the vacuuming upstairs in the top floor lounge area and the boxes before he could go home alone for the evening and watch a horrible chick flick with his cat. He forced the imagined sneering of his married elder siblings from his mind as he turned on the vacuum and continued his cleaning. It really wasn't his fault that he was single on the most important couples' night of the year; he was just too caught up in his work. While Francis owned _La Lune et les étoiles Théâtre Musical _(or just _La Lune_ for short) Arthur was the manager. And Francis was often out of town on little rendezvous and left Arthur in charge of a large theatre with a small cast of workers. Arthur was often left to do many of the things such as clean up and book orchestras to play in the theatre. Sometimes he felt more like a janitor more than the manager.

"I don't know why I don't just hire someone to do this bloody job for me." He growled, his British accent affecting the words in a melodic way but the words were drowned out by the vacuum cleaner never to have his complaints voiced upon someone else's ears. "I'll have to give Francis a what for next time he calls, the bastard." Continuing to grumble to himself Arthur remembered exactly why he didn't hire anybody else even though they had money to take on another worker. It was mostly because Arthur avoided going back to his apartment when only his cat and his house ghost would be there to greet him. Besides no matter how much he complained Arthur adored this theatre with all of his heart. His grandparents used to treat him by bringing him here to watch the pianist play familiar music by famous artists such as Beethoven, Bach, and Tchaikovsky. He was even more enthralled when the musicians would play handmade pieces. Arthur fell in love with classical music almost to the point that he couldn't stand most modern day "music" (he still loved rock and rock and roll, of course. That could never leave his system). He closed his eyes as he began to hum Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_ not understanding how that song came to get stuck in his head but nonetheless enjoying it. He wished dearly that he could play the piano but he was unable to play anything but the more simple pieces. He was lucky if he could manage to play the slow portions of some of his favourite songs. He could feel his fingers press down on the handle of the vacuum cleaner as if he was really the one playing the music gently overcoming the shrill vacuum. His head swung slowly to the music as if dancing as images played in his mind when he jolted himself to a halt and quickly shut off the vacuum. No, it wasn't his imagination. He really was hearing someone play _Moonlight Sonata_.

Quickly he rushed to the doors leading out onto the balcony overlooking the soothing midnight blue and silver-lined concert hall. Down on the stage he saw the figure of a man playing on the singular piano on the stage. The lights were very low allowing only just enough light for Arthur to be able to clean but the lights were clearly set at a level meant to tell anybody who was in the building that it was not the time to be here. Arthur was startled considering the fact that he had been sure that he was the only one present in the building. Was there a ghost in this theatre? No, he had been working here for nearly five years now and he had not come across such an entity. Someone must have broken in. On top of that- "Is that a bloody _dog_?" Arthur gasped to himself, aghast. He turned swiftly on his heel and ran to the flight of stairs, taking them three at a time as he slid his hand down the railing for safety. Pets were most certainly _not_ allowed in his theatre and he would not give this trespasser any mercy either! He was out of breath as he made it down to the very first floor and gave himself a moment to catch his breath. The person was clearly still playing (quite well, too; the man had moved on to the faster portion of the song) so Arthur had time to clean himself up to present himself professionally and angrily to the intruder.

Once he had himself settled he pushed open the extravagant doors (that opened silkily thanks to his perfect upkeep of the building) before beginning to walk down the long middle row towards the center stage. The man didn't even look up at his entrance or even seemed to notice him whatsoever and continued to play unhindered. The man's dog, however, (a golden retriever, Arthur could immediately recognize) did raise its head at him. It didn't growl but only watched him. When Arthur was close enough to the stage he crossed his arms across his chest and gave the man a good look over him. From where he could tell lower down than the stage Arthur could see that the man was taller than him and had shaggy light brown-blonde hair that looked as if it hadn't been taken care of in a while as it fell past his ears and somewhat into his face. He was dressed casually in a 1940's bomber jacket that looked as if it had actually been through the War and some tattered jeans. His eyes were closed behind thin rectangular frames as his body moved in time to the music his fingers played. Arthur wondered if this was some type of talented bum.

"Excuse me!" He called and the man jumped, abruptly cutting off the beautiful music with a loud bang of the piano keys. The man cursed and fumbled, rubbing down the piano keys as if he had hurt the thing. Arthur didn't appreciate the bang of the precious (and quite old) piano but he pushed that aside for the time being. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

The man opened his eyes and looked down towards Arthur but Arthur felt as if he was looking through him rather than at him. He had an almost blank stare to him that made the British man's curiosity overcome his annoyance temporarily. "Whoa man, you scared the shit out of me. Are you a cat or what 'cuz I totally didn't hear you sneak up on me!" The man laughed like it was an inside joke with him and someone else. He had a distinctly New York accent even if he didn't completely speak like it.

"Can't you tell that you're not supposed to be here? We're closed and the lights being down are a clear sign to anyone not to just come in as they please and start playing on our expensive equipment all willy-nilly!" Arthur waved his hand towards the piano for emphasis.

"Sorry. I couldn't tell that the lights are off. Everything's already completely black to me, y'know?" He grinned and waved his own hand in front of his face at which point Arthur felt the blood drain from his face.

"Oh lord; I've made a right fool of myself haven't I?" He muttered under his breath, a little flushed and repentant as he came to understand. He took a quick breath as the man continued to grin as he stood up. The dog stood as well and came over with its leash in its mouth and nudged its master's hand for him to take it. "Nevertheless," Arthur continued, determined to retain some pride, "how did you get in here? Isn't it common knowledge that one is not supposed to just walk into some place and start playing the piano?"

The man took his dog's leash and turned to begin walking in the direction of the stairs as he dug into his jacket's pocket. Arthur became alert and hurried towards the other side of the stairs in case the man needed help but it appeared it was unneeded. The man pulled out a foldable stick and flicked it to extend it to its full length before tapping the stairs. The dog gently led him down it and over to where Arthur stood. He seemed a bit surprised and he turned his head to where he had last heard Arthur's voice thinking that the Brit was still there. "I know all about this place, including the secret doors and such!"

Arthur cleared his throat lightly to bring the man's attention to where he was standing now. The man flushed and turned his head towards him even though his eyes were sightless. Now that they were standing on level ground Arthur saw that the man couldn't have been much younger than himself –perhaps in his early twenties (as Arthur was already reaching the age of twenty-six). The man's eyes were also a brilliant blue that Arthur unabashedly stared at having expected to see that milky film often portrayed in movies. He was glad that the man couldn't see his staring. "So you decide to just waltz right in?"

"Nah, I sonata'd my way in."

"Hilarious. Exactly what is your name and why shouldn't I call the police on you?"

"Harsh. You'd call the cops on a blind dude?"

"Blind or not, it gives you no right to come in here without permission."

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'm not looking for any trouble, okay? I just came in here to get a little bit of piano practice in since my brother's out on a date and I can't use his piano." He held his hand out in Arthur's general direction. "My name is Alfred F. Jones. The F isn't important but it sounds cooler, haha!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow but took Alfred's hand and shook it. He had a firm and confident shake. His fingers were thick with calluses which made Arthur wonder exactly what Alfred did with his life. _Was_ he a bum like he had originally guessed? "I'm Arthur Kirkland." He introduced finding it rude not to give his own name despite the circumstances.

"Nice to meet 'cha!"

"Likewise. Now Alfred if you don't mind leaving, I have to finish cleaning up so that I can go home as well."

Alfred groaned. "If you're just cleaning, can't I play for a while longer? I didn't even get to finish my song. I won't go anywhere else, I swear." He crossed himself. "Scout's honor."

Arthur scoffed, amused. "Aren't you too old to be a Boy Scout?"

Alfred shrugged. "I was one when I was younger so it still applies!" Arthur considered letting Alfred stay. It wouldn't do any harm and from the looks of it he had nowhere else to go for the evening. Arthur sympathized with him, not wanting to go home either. Alfred certainly did not have a wedding band on so he would probably go home to a similar situation that Arthur would have to go through.

"Fine." He sighed. "I'll allow you to stay until I finish cleaning _only_ if you show me how you got in." He had been sure to lock all of the doors that evening.

"But then you'll close it off." Alfred protested.

"Damn right, I will."

"You're so mean." Alfred puffed out his cheeks childishly.

"Exactly _how _old are you?"

"Twenty-three. How about this instead," he bargained, "you let me play until you finish cleaning, I _don't_ show you how I got in and in exchange I'll play you a song of your choice. How's that?"

Arthur chaffed at it, entertained by such a proposition. Alfred, he already could tell, was a good pianist. "And what makes you think you'll know how to play the song I choose?"

Alfred shrugged. "I don't but hey, it's worth a shot right?"

"Do you really have nothing better to do than play this piano?"

"It's my pride and joy at the moment!"

"Alright, fine. I'll allow it this one time but don't think I won't figure out how you got in here." He turned and began walking back towards the doors as Alfred went back up onto the stage. "You won't have much longer since I'm already almost done." He said, his voice effortlessly reaching Alfred's ears in the large theatre.

"Alright!" Alfred called back and walked back over to the piano to sit his self down. Arthur watched as he situated himself into the middle of the seat and his fingers skimmed over the keys searching for where to begin before he began pressing down on the keys, picking up where he had left off in his song. Arthur left him then to play the third movement of the song.

Throughout his vacuuming Arthur kept his ears perked to listen to Alfred's playing. He found himself disgruntled whenever he had to turn on the vacuum and found himself wishing that he didn't have to use it. He was glad when he went out into the box seats and saw Alfred playing his tune with much exuberance. His body moved and flowed with the song and he occasionally laughed as he messed up a note but quickly picked it back up becoming serious again. Arthur kneeled onto the floor and began sweeping under the seating and used a hand vacuum to clean the seats and flooring instead. It was much more tedious but it didn't seem to disturb the player and Arthur was able to actually listen to the music. By the time he had finished Alfred had moved onto another song that definitely was not classical music but was still beautiful to be heard anyway. Arthur vaguely recognized it and tried to put his finger on it as he put away his cleaning supplies and reentered the orchestra hall.

"What song is that?" He asked as he approached and went around to climb the stairs to the stage.

Alfred didn't hesitate in his playing. "_Dearly Beloved._" He informed him, playing the same notes over again. "It's from a video game." Arthur wondered where he had heard it from considering he himself didn't play video games very much if at all.

"It's lovely."

"Yeah, I love it a lot even if it's simple to play." He stopped his playing and gazed across the piano not bothering to give the illusion that he was looking at Arthur. "So what will it be? I've got quite a number of songs under my belt!"

Arthur moved to stand beside and behind Alfred as he gazed at the piano keys and ran through a list of songs in his head. "If you don't know the song or can't play it, Alfred, you have to show how you got in." He upped the ante.

"Man, you're going to give me a hard song, aren't you?"

"I'm planning on it."

"Fine, you're on. So what's the song?"

"Do you happen to know _Revolutionary Etude_?"

Alfred looked up, thinking. "…that one by Chopin?"

"Yes."

"Mmm…I haven't played it in a long time but I _think_ I can still do it. It's not one of my favorites so I don't play it really."

"Go on, then." Arthur encouraged, smirking a bit. "Don't mess up, now."

"I won't." Alfred grinned confidently and ran his fingers lightly over the piano before he found the positions he needed to be in order to start his piece. The moment he started playing Arthur was floored. The man's fingers moved seamlessly across the keys as he pressed all of the notes in perfect timing. His body shook as he pounded across the piano for the perfect dramatic effect of it all and his foot stomped the pedals to give the music the soft tones and the thundering tones it needed to make the song perfect in its elasticity and excitement. Arthur felt his heart pounding as every note entered his body and played in complete harmony. He wanted to lower himself down to his knees because he felt he could no longer support himself but he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the hands creating the music that filled the air, echoing off of the walls of the insulated room so that the reverbs would create a beautiful effect.

As Alfred stopped with a flurry and a loud finish Arthur finally sucked in a breath realizing that he had forgotten how to breathe in that span of two minutes. Alfred panted slightly from his exertion and straightened himself to lean his hands on the bench. "Well?" He asked.

"Okay." Arthur breathed. "I give up."

"Great!" Alfred stood up and grabbed his lead dog's leash before snapping out his cane. "So I can come back any time, right?"

"I never said that!" Arthur said and followed the sightless man as he moved down the stairs.

"But I totally impressed you! Come on, you gotta let me come back whenever I want!"

"That wasn't part of the deal, Alfred." The two moved up to the doors and Arthur opened it for the man before they both exited and headed towards the front.

"Thanks. Don't be such a hardass. You know I'm a good player!"

"That has nothing to do with it. I can't just have you come in here whenever you damn well feel like it. This is my workplace and I could get fired."

"Pfft, the manager isn't even here and who cares if it's just a janitorial job?"

Arthur sucked in air sharply, offended. "I _am_ the manager." He gritted out.

"Really?" Alfred asked surprised turning his head to look around for Arthur. Arthur stood next to him and touched his shoulder lightly to signify where he was. Alfred looked at him then. "But you were the one cleaning up. I thought you were the janitor."

Arthur grunted, annoyed. "I might as well be."

"That's harsh." Alfred nodded sympathetically. Arthur grabbed his arm and led him out the front door before quickly moving to turn off the rest of the lights. He joined him a moment later before turning to lock the door behind him. Alfred shivered slightly and huddled in on himself.

"Do _not_ go back in there, Alfred, or I will call the police." He warned. Alfred pouted. "It's nearing midnight. I believe it's time to head home."

"Wow, it's already that late?" He mimed checking his watch. "I had no idea!"

Arthur bit back a small chuckle knowing that the man was trying to be funny. "Go on now. Do you need me to call a cab for you? Perhaps give you a ride?"

"No, it's cool. I just live around the block."

"Do you want me to walk with you?"

Alfred laughed although it sounded strained. "Arthur, I'm not an invalid you know." Arthur flushed realizing he had offended him.

"Sorry."

He waved it off. "Besides, I have Eddie here. He knows how to get me back, right boy?" He kneeled down and petted the dog furiously, laughing. The dog's tail wagged and he licked Alfred's hand accepting the petting. "Thanks anyway." He stood back up. "I'll see you around." He winked at his joke before he turned and walked away with his dog leading him along. Arthur continued to watch him, fascinated by this specimen until the blind man finally disappeared around the corner and what Arthur was sure was out of his life.

* * *

Arthur sat outside by himself on a cold day in April as he placed a cigarette to his lips and inhaled. His heart was beating at a fast pace and his blood pressure was no doubt skyrocketing after his conversation with Francis. The two of them had once again gotten into an argument but that was nothing unusual and Arthur knew it. He actually somewhat enjoyed his fights with his old enemy but today they had gotten onto the sensitive topic of his love life. Or rather, his lack thereof. Arthur inhaled his cigarette smoke again angrily before he roughly blew it out, gazing up at the blue sky. The chill in the air was calming him down somewhat but it didn't help entirely.

It wasn't as if Arthur wasn't attractive. He knew for a fact that American women fell head over heels nine out of ten times for a British man and he knew that his looks were attractive enough to even have men flirt with him. It took a lot to get American stick-up-the-ass men to flirt with someone of the same gender considering for some odd reason this country had a thing against homosexuals. So why didn't Arthur have someone licking at his heels to date him? Simply put it was because he didn't have a very attractive personality (at least from what Francis had told him). He was very abrasive and harsh and –as his Japanese acquaintance once told him- _tsundere_ (the meaning of which Arthur had to look up) which made it difficult for people to get past the wall in his heart. Arthur knew he was hard to please and even he didn't know how people could slither into his heart. Everybody had a weakness to something, yes? So what was his? He didn't know and so far he hadn't found out. Because of this he didn't know where to look and he was sincerely tired of having to please his self. The only reason he came to understand that he had even _had_ people to date was because of his looks.

He put out the cigarette and gazed across the street at a gelato store and considered going in there to grab himself a treat. He knew the owners and usually the Vargas twins weren't against giving him a free scoop as long as he occasionally gave them good seats at the theatre. Living in the gay part of town allowed for free stuff as long as a man had connections. He stood up and glanced left and right down the streets and seeing there were not any cars coming he crossed. His hand was just on the door to open the shop when he heard a sharp yelp. He paused for a moment and then disregarded it when he heard a bark followed by the cry of a voice he found somewhat familiar.

"H-Hey Eddie, stop! What are you doing?!" Arthur turned around to see a golden retriever bounding across the street dragging along a frenzied Alfred.

"Eddie, stop!" He called out and ran over to the dog, hoping to cut it off before the dog dragged the helpless man into traffic. He grabbed onto the dog's harness and yanked the large dog towards the sidewalk as he grabbed Alfred's sleeve to tug in the direction they needed to go. Alfred understood and picked up the dog and carried it onto the sidewalk. Alfred kneeled onto the cold ground with a relieved sigh as he held the dog tightly.

"Jeez, Eddie. What spooked you, boy?" Arthur looked over to where they had come from but he couldn't find anything.

"I don't see anything." He looked at Alfred. "Are you two alright?"

Alfred blinked and looked up at him over his glasses. He struggled for a moment before the name came to him. "Arthur? S'that you?"

"Yes." Arthur pet the dog as it sniffed him curiously. It appeared to be calming down although Eddie's tail was still between its legs somewhat.

"Wow, it's been a while! How've you been? Jeez, I never thought that I'd see you here!"

Arthur granted him an amused look. "We saw each other just last week, I believe." Arthur had been seeing Alfred around quite a bit since he had first met him. The man insisted on visiting the theatre often in order to play on the piano after hours and Arthur has all but given up on trying to keep him to stay out. He still didn't know how the man kept getting in whenever Arthur never let him in. "And must you make jokes?"

"Hey, I'm blind; I might as well make the most of it!" He laughed.

"Fine. Are you alright though?"

"Yeah, I am. I guess Eddie must've been spooked by something. Didn't see what though."

"I imagine not." Arthur paused for a moment, uncertain if they were close enough to ask, "Where were you headed?"

"Nowhere, really. I was just taking a walk. What about you?"

"I live across the street. I was about to get some gelato."

"Ice cream! Oh man, I love ice cream! I'm totally coming with you!" He groped for a moment before he grabbed Arthur's hand. "Lead the way, man. I think Eddie's still off his rocker." Arthur glanced down at Alfred's warm hand and blushed slightly at the contact not liking public displays of affection too much but he allowed it considering the circumstances. He wasn't sure if Eddie was still "off his rocker" but he led Alfred to the gelato shop. A little bell rang as Arthur opened the door and he held it open to allow the man and his dog enter first before he came in.

"Welcome!" Arthur heard Feliciano, the younger of the Italian brothers, call out. "Oh Arthur, you finally have a boyfriend! Congratulations!" Arthur felt his face turn pink and the two men quickly dropped hands. From the corner of his eye he saw Alfred blushing as well.

"I-It's not like that, Feliciano!" He denied quickly. "I was just helping him-"

"Hey _bastardo_! You can't just bring a dog in here!" Lovino yelled and came out from the side room pulling on an apron. "Get that thing out of here!"

"_Fratello,_ don't be mean!" Feliciano scolded his older brother.

"Nah, it's cool!" Alfred waved them off. "Come on, Eddie." He called the dog and led him to the front door.

"Alfred, he doesn't mean to kick you out." Arthur called, feeling horrid for the poor man. "He's an ass to everyone."

"Hey!" Lovino cried insulted. Alfred ignored them and opened the door to allow Eddie out.

"Stay." He commanded and the dog sat and waited as Alfred closed the door and came back inside and back to Arthur's side, his cane clicking against the tiled floor. Arthur shot Lovino a look telling him that he better feel guilty for kicking a blind man's seeing-eye dog out and Lovino did look properly reprimanded.

"Sorry, but because of the establishment…" Feliciano tried to apologize but Alfred shook his head.

"No man, I totally understand. Can't have dog hair in the food, right? Sorry I completely forgot I had to ask these types of things!" He grinned showing that there was no foul among them. He winked. "But maybe you can make up for it with a free scoop of ice cream?" Feliciano grinned and Lovino grunted in agreement.

Arthur frowned at him. "Alfred, it's not right to take advantage like that."

"Oh come on, I'm not taking advantage!"

"Alfred…"

"Jeez, you sound like my mom. Okay, fine. Guys, I'm just kidding you don't need to give me free stuff." Alfred felt his way to the counter. "I'll pay for my stuff so don't worry."

"No no, this one's on the house!" Feliciano said. "It's your first time and you're Arthur's boyfriend! Everything is good!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Arthur denied once again as Alfred laughed a bit embarrassed.

"Guys really-" He tried again.

"Just accept the damn cone." Lovino cut him off. "Now what flavor do you want before we change our minds, _bastardo_?" Alfred appeared confused but finally accepted the fact.

"Um, just give me whatever. I'm not real picky." Lovino moved to go make Alfred's cone as Arthur called for a cup with a scoop mint chocolate chip and a scoop of vanilla each. He wasn't a huge fan of vanilla but he had a feeling that Alfred would gratefully accept it. "Hey, I'll pay for that." He told the British man as he dug into his pocket for his wallet. "As thanks for saving me earlier."

"You really don't have to…" Arthur tried to argue but Alfred would have none of it and he pulled out a ten dollar bill to hand to Lovino before receiving his cone. Arthur received his cup a moment later and a spoon before taking Alfred's change and putting it away in the man's wallet. Arthur was rather surprised to see that Alfred had a driver's license although it appeared old. The picture was one of a seventeen year old with a grinning face behind the same frames Alfred wore today. He appeared a bit thick than the man in front of him was so Alfred must have finished growing into his body a little bit later. His money in his wallet looked to be organized by bills with a little tab indented in different ways separating the bills into sections. Arthur placed the bills and coins in the proper areas before handing Alfred back his wallet.

"You didn't take anything, right?" Alfred joked and pocketed the wallet without a care. Arthur wondered where all of this trust suddenly came from. The two said goodbye to the twins before they left the store. Arthur picked up Eddie's leash and handed it to Alfred as the man put away his foldable cane and pocketed it into the same bomber jacket he had been wearing when Arthur first met him. The two began to walk together as they ate; Alfred's legs too restless to just sit down and Arthur not willing to leave his company yet. Besides it seemed as if he had been happily invited to join the man on his walk. They ate mostly in silence other than Alfred's cheerful "Mm's" and "Wow, this is good!" comments on the gelato. Arthur watched him enjoy himself and found himself smiling as well as he enjoyed Alfred's presence.

"So what have you been up to lately, Artie?" Arthur twitched at the name.

"Please don't call me that ridiculous name."

"You British people seem to have issues with nicknames. Man I know this other girl Alice who complained all of the time when I called her Ally back in high school!"

"Did you ever consider it's because you come up with dreadful nicknames?"

"What! No way, my nicknames are awesome!"

"So you think."

"Whatever, dude." Alfred blew a raspberry. "Anyway where are we headed? Oh! And you didn't answer my first question!"

"I don't know where we're heading because I'm simply following you and I have been up to the same stuff as usual as in managing _La Lune_." Arthur answered, looking across the street as he watched a couple pass by. It was cold today and the snow on the ground was fresh but the sun gave everything a nice feel to it and a sheer wind wasn't blowing. All in all, it was gorgeous out and was a perfect day for a walk.

"Alright, cool. Let's head over to my brother's shop then since you apparently have nothing better to do." He laughed.

"If it bothers you so much I _can_ leave, you know." Arthur snipped.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that! I like hanging out with you, Artie. You're a really cool guy."

"I've been called many things but 'cool' certainly isn't one of them." He murmured, pleased to be complimented even if it wasn't the most flattering compliment.

"I don't see why, really. And no, that wasn't a blind joke." He added before Arthur could say anything. Unable to help himself, Arthur laughed. Had Alfred really come to know him so much he knew when he was going to comment? Alfred turned his head towards him to gaze at him with sightless eyes before he burst into a large smile that had Arthur fumbling a bit with his tongue.

"What? Why are you looking at me that way?" He demanded, glad that Alfred was blind so that he couldn't see him blushing.

"I'm not looking at you at all!" He teased.

"You know what I mean, Alfred."

"Hahaha, I don't know. I've just never really heard you laugh before. I like it." He stated and took a large bite out of his cone. Arthur mentally cursed as his footsteps stuttered and hurried to catch back up to him.

"Belt up." He muttered. "So where is your brother's shop?" He changed the subject.

"Um…On Fifteenth and Sheldon." Arthur looked up at the street signs.

"Not too far then."

"If you say so!" They came to a stop at a crossing and Arthur pressed the button for them. "Eddie knows the way so I usually just follow him."

"Such a smart dog."

"They're trained that way!" Alfred nodded. A moment later the white hand flashed on and the group of pedestrians walked with each other across the street. "Hey, hold my hand for me? I can't stand being in crowds and I don't want to lose you in a mass." He held out his hand and Arthur moved around another person to grab it. Alfred gripped his hand tightly for a moment, squeezing it before relaxing the grip somewhat. Arthur squeezed back once too as he looked at him. Alfred had a content smile on his face.

"Are you afraid of crowds?"

"Afraid? No, not really. But it's like trying to run through a forest when everything is pitch black. You don't really know where they're going to come from and I've bumped into enough people to last me a lifetime to tell you the truth." They didn't speak anymore after that. Instead they walked in contentment as they enjoyed the day. The crunch of the snow underfoot sounded so much more pleasant now. How long had it been since he had been out with someone like this? Just last week he had gone drinking with the other workers after the theatre had closed for the day but it had really been a while since he had spent time with someone personally out in the daytime. He recalled that the last time had been sometime in the autumn as he remembered that there were oranges and yellows and browns everywhere. Suddenly that fight with Francis seemed like it was so long ago. He enjoyed spending time with Alfred, he decided. He would need to get the man's number and perhaps ask if they could hang out again sometime.

Eddie turned and waited at a door and Alfred brought the two of them to a halt. Arthur looked in through the glass and saw that it was a music store. "We're here!" Alfred announced and released Eddie's leash before groping for the door and opening it. He held it open as Arthur entered and walked with him, pulling out his cane. Eddie walked ahead of them and bounded over to a man at the counter who surprisingly looked like Alfred. They must be twins, he decided. The man reached down and pulled Eddie's leash off before rolling it up and putting it to the side on the counter.

"Hey Al." The man's eyes drifted to Arthur and then down to their linked hands but didn't say anything and only smiled softly. Arthur's face grew hot and he quickly pulled his hand from Alfred's. "Who's your friend? Bringing people to buy stuff?"

"Ah no, my name's Arthur." Arthur introduced himself.

"Matthew."

"Yeah, we took a walk and decided to stop by here. Artie here is the manager at that theatre. _La…La Lune et las…et…_blah blah, you know." Alfred leaned on the counter.

"God, Al, we've been going to that place all of our lives and you _still_ can't pronounce it correctly?"

"Nope!"

"Oh?" Arthur turned to Alfred, interested. "You've been going your whole life? I wasn't informed of this."

"Yes, well, our uncle ran the place before our cousin took over." Matthew explained and came around the counter to start walking towards a set of keyboards. Alfred tapped his way along with his cane as he and Arthur followed the man.

"My god, you're actually _related_ to that frog, Francis?"

Alfred laughed out loud as Matthew grinned. "So you must be the Arthur he complains about."

"He'd better not be saying horrible things about me. I'll wipe his face in a pond next time I see him."

"I assure you he's speaking many horrible things about you."

"Good, because I don't want people to think I'm friends with him." Arthur sniffed and moved to go look at the keyboards. He ran his fingers over some of them as he looked around the shop. Hanging he could see guitars as well as saxophones in open cases. He could see flutes as well as violins and violas. There was a grand piano over by the shop window that allowed people to see the bench and keys. On the other side of the room there were drums and all kinds of percussion instruments as well as books containing songs and the such. Alfred and Matthew laughed about something together before Alfred passed by Arthur to go sit at the grand piano. Eddie followed him and lay down next to him. Matthew joined Arthur as Alfred began to play a sad piece that Arthur didn't know.

"Eddie loves listening to Al play." Matthew told him softly so as to not disturb his brother's playing.

Arthur nodded and after a few minutes of listening to Alfred play he asked Matthew without tearing his eyes away from the other twin, "So Alfred keeps sneaking into _La Lune_ to play on our piano. By any chance do you know how he keeps getting in?"

Matthew chuckled behind his hand before he looked at Arthur with sparkling eyes from behind his own oval frames. "Of course. Francis showed us all of the secret places when we were all still kids. We would sneak in to watch shows all of the time. I guess that means he never closed it off, huh?"

"I'm trying to figure out where it is so that I can get him to stop breaking in." Arthur said, disgruntled.

"Do you have to?" Matthew lowered his voice and looked at Arthur. "Al loves that place a lot. He always wanted to play there."

Arthur blinked at him before looking back at Alfred. "If he wanted to play there, he should've just asked." He sat down on a piano bench. "We have piano nights on Mondays and Wednesdays, after all."

Alfred abruptly stopped playing looked in his direction with serious eyes. "Do you…really think I'm good enough for that?" He asked. He sounded so insecure all of a sudden. Arthur had the indefinable urge to hug him.

"Of course you are." Arthur stood and he and Matthew walked over to join Alfred. "Whatever made you think that you weren't?"

Alfred turned his head away to stare at his hands in shock. He didn't say anything for the longest period of time which made Arthur start to worry. "But…I'm blind." He finally whispered. His voice was thick and his unseeing eyes were brimming with tears.

"What does that matter, Alfred? Beethoven was deaf but as you can see he went on to greatness. You don't need to see to play. The music you play is beautiful. I've spent enough nights with you at the theatre to know this already."

"He's right, Al." Matthew agreed pressing a hand to his brother's back. "You've been good enough to play even before you went blind." Arthur reeled back and stared at Matthew, agape. There was a time before Alfred was blind? How had he not been aware of this? He sat there floored as Matthew continued. "I'm sure if you just asked Arthur will happily book you a spot to play, right Arthur?" Matthew looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Y…yeah." Arthur agreed. Alfred turned rapidly in his seat and hugged Arthur to him suddenly, snapping the man out of his shock.

"Thank you." Alfred whispered as he buried his face into Arthur's neck. Arthur felt the wetness of Alfred's silent tears and hugged him back, holding him close and realizing for the first time just how broken this man was. How horrifying it must have been for Alfred to go blind. Arthur couldn't imagine the pain of discovering that he could no longer see the world. It was no wonder Alfred's confidence had shattered. He couldn't read sheet music any longer. Were the songs he knew all music that he had memorized before his blindness?

After a few minutes Alfred calmed down and wiped his eyes, sniffing. "Sorry." He laughed a bit. "I didn't mean to cry. I mean, like Matt said it's been my dream since before," he waved angrily at his face, "_this_ happened."

"May…May I ask _how_ it happened?" Arthur asked, wiping a tear off of Alfred's cheek with his thumb.

"Stupidity." Alfred said and turned roughly back to the piano and began playing an angry but sorrowful song. "Our parents died when we were eighteen and I had to take some medication to get over it. I got addicted and took too much. It had a toll on my body and one of the tolls was taking away my eyesight." He played faster. "I knew that the pills were making me go blind but I couldn't bring myself to stop. They helped deal with the pain and I felt like I could deal with losing my eyes. I discovered that I _could _deal with losing my eyes but that doesn't mean that I like the fact that they're gone. I can't stand it. I regret it."

Arthur didn't bother to try to apologize. He could tell Alfred didn't want sympathy and after all what would be the point in apologizing if he had done nothing wrong. There was nothing he could say so he pulled Alfred's hands away from the keyboard and held them gently in his own, rubbing them silently and soothingly. Alfred didn't say anything to him and his angry breathing gradually began to calm. Arthur watched him until Alfred sighed and lifted his head to look at him before smiling thankfully. Arthur kissed Alfred's knuckles, surprising the man, before he placed the hands back onto the keyboard. "Can you play me a song?" He asked and the American nodded before beginning to play a lullaby.

* * *

It was mid April as Arthur sat on stage with Alfred. Alfred sat playing on the piano soft and sad music as Arthur sat at a small desk he had brought up onto the stage so that he could look over some papers. It was still early in the morning and the orchestra playing tonight didn't come until around noon to begin practicing so they had time. Arthur was looking through his scheduling book to see where he could fit Alfred in. Usually piano weekdays never lasted long and the person would only need to play for about an hour before the show was over. It was popular for many in the community and it wasn't very expensive. They only had to wear nice clothing and pay about five dollars a person to get in and take whichever seats they wanted. Box seats were only open on weekends, however. Arthur often had large amounts of people coming in. He was usually prepared enough to have the next month booked in advance so Alfred would need to wait until June before he would be able to play.

"That's fine." Alfred told him, continuing to play a song Arthur recognized from hearing him play before. Alfred had told him that it was called _Entwined Hearts_. "I need to figure out what to play anyway. Hey, what _am_ I allowed to play?"

"Anything." Arthur told him, standing up to go sit down on the bench next to Alfred. He had the longer one set up on the stage today so both of them fit easily without him messing the pianist up. "As long as it has a consistency to it. It wouldn't do to have the audience get mood whiplash from your playing. It must be told like a story."

Alfred laughed softly. "Artie, all music is a story. It's just putting the pieces together in the right order."

"Just like a series of notes to create a piece, right." Arthur agreed, watching Alfred's hands move. The man's head wasn't even lowered to pretend he was looking at the notes. He didn't bother to try to put up an act for Arthur anymore. The only times he pretended he could still see was when he turned his head to "look" at Arthur. "That's all it really is, isn't it? A story created by a series of notes. That's what we call music."

"Mmm…not really." Alfred disagreed. "You say it so point-blank when really it's so much more than that. Music is not just a series of notes on a page played on an instrument, but really emotions created by a brilliant person to be made physical in the closest form possible." He said softly, as he gazed through Arthur smiling and Arthur could do nothing but accept this as the complete truth.

Arthur swallowed thickly. "Yes…of course, I understand." Alfred's hands slowly came to a stop and he dropped them, seemingly sensing the same shift in the atmosphere that Arthur was currently experiencing. He tilted his head slightly to the side, looking unsure about what was happening. Arthur found himself moving closer to Alfred until his lips were right in front of the other's. He held his breath and waited to see if Alfred would have a reaction. Alfred didn't move but he seemed to be alert to the fact that Arthur had moved.

"…Artie? Is everything okay? You got really quiet." Arthur moved back slightly and turned his head away to breathe out slowly and breathe back in before turning back to gaze deeply into Alfred's eyes. He could barely see his eyes through Alfred's messy fringe. A part of him hurt knowing that he couldn't see into Alfred's soul completely. There was a fog in front of the windows he called eyes. No matter how much it looked like Alfred could see completely fine the proof was in the fact that Alfred continued to look straight through Arthur because he was unable to focus. Arthur took another shaky breath and Alfred's eyebrows shot up, suddenly aware of exactly how close Arthur was.

"Alfred…may I kiss you?" He asked quietly. He knew that he was close enough Alfred could hear him perfectly fine, though. His heart thudded in his chest as various things flew through his mind waiting for Alfred's response. He had never found out if Alfred was even gay or not. What if he wasn't? What would Alfred think of him then? What if he _was_ gay? Oh lord, knowing Arthur's luck Alfred wouldn't be interested in him that way. They had only known each other for less than three months. Was it too soon to want to kiss him?

"Why?" Alfred asked after an everlasting silence. Arthur froze.

"Wh…why?" He asked, baffled.

"Yeah. Why do you want to kiss me?" It seemed to be an honest question. Alfred looked sincerely confused as to why Arthur was suddenly asking to kiss him. So sincerely that in fact Arthur began to question why he wanted to as well. Why did he want to kiss Alfred? He certainly wasn't very attractive -well, in a way he was but his hair was an absolute mess and his clothes covered a majority of his form so Arthur didn't have much of an opinion on Alfred –physically, but Arthur did like Alfred's personality. He loved talking to Alfred and even though they hadn't known each other for a very long time he felt close to him. A possessive part of his self wanted to claim Alfred, but was that really an excuse?

"I…I'm not sure." He admitted finally. Alfred laughed and Arthur leaned back from him, disheartened.

"Okay." Alfred grinned and told him. "You can kiss me."

"What?" Arthur looked at him in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"But why? I don't have a reason."

"Do you really need one?" Alfred asked as his grin softened to a smile. "The fact that you don't have a reason proves that you actually like me. After all, love doesn't have a reason behind it, right?" He leaned forward on his hands and lifted one up to touch Arthur's cheek. Arthur felt his cheeks warm and he took Alfred's hand to lead it to his cheek where the younger man cupped it. Arthur leaned forward to meet him.

"Idiot. I never said anything about love." He murmured embarrassed and kissed him.

* * *

Spring was finally in the air as the snow fall became less frequent and storms began to appear to wake the trees from their slumber. Leaves formed and buds began to make their heads appear as winter clothing was slowly beginning to be shed for simple sweaters and scarves instead of thick jackets. Birds and other little animals began to have their children and began to come out from their hibernations or come back from down South. Teenagers began to look forward to their Spring Breaks and prom and graduation which loomed on the horizon. And then there was Arthur sitting Alfred down at a hairdresser to get his hair cut for the first time in what Matthew confirmed to be at least five months.

Alfred groaned as they sat in the waiting area together. "Why bother, Artie? I can't even see what I look like!"

"That's no excuse to make yourself look like a pig all of the time. I can't even see your bloody eyes anymore!"

"I can't see it either and you don't see that bugging me."

"Very funny." Arthur rolled his eyes and tugged a bit on one of Alfred's (rather greasy, actually) strands of hair.

"Ow!" Alfred whined and swatted Arthur's hand away. Eddie nudged Arthur's leg and Arthur scratched him on the scruff of his neck, causing the dog's tail to thump. There were a couple of kids in the corner with their mom watching the dog and looking very much like they wanted to come over and also pet the dog. "Seriously Artie, what does it matter if my hair's too long? Don't like guys with long hair?"

"It doesn't matter to me whether you have long hair or not but you're going to, oh hang on." Arthur turned to the little kids, unable to help him. "If you two would like to pet the puppy, you may. He doesn't bite." He smiled kindly. Alfred blinked at Arthur but didn't turn his head because he didn't know where the children were. The kids hesitated and the mother looked at Arthur with a nervous smile, embarrassed by her children in the way mothers get, before she encouraged the children to approach Eddie. Eddie lifted his head and watched them approach until they reached to pet him. His tail thumped happily and the kids laughed.

Arthur watched them for a moment before turning back to Alfred. "As I was saying, it doesn't matter to me whether you have long hair or not but you're going to be going up on stage to play in front of an audience and I'd hate to tell you this Alfred but you look dreadful. We need to at least cut your to give it some style instead of this mop you have." Alfred's hair was nearing the man's jaw and was curling similarly to how Matthew's hair was wavy.

Alfred continued to sulk as they were called up next. "Fine then. You'd better not make me look bad."

"Never, love." He promised as Arthur followed the hairdresser to the seat and sat his boyfriend down in the chair. Alfred adjusted himself before the hairdresser –someone Arthur recognized to be wife of one of Arthur's workers, Gilbert, but who he forgot the name of because he had met her only once- left and rejoined them a moment later.

"So Alfred! It's nice to meet you, my name is Liz and I'll be your stylist for the day!" Liz said cheerfully.

Alfred smiled back at her, taking off his glasses and staring blankly at the mirror. "Nice to meet 'cha!"

"What would you like for today?"

"No clue. Ask this British guy over here."

Liz turned to Arthur with a knowing look and winked with a smile grasping immediately the connection between the two. Arthur fidgeted nervously suddenly remembering this woman. Last time they had met she had tried to hook Francis and Arthur up because of the "foe yay" (whatever the fuck that was) between them while Gilbert had just laughed. She seemed like a nice enough woman but seemed strangely obsessed with pairings of people. "Alright, Arthur. What are we doing for this one here?"

"First he definitely needs a nice rinse, as you can tell." He nodded towards Alfred mop-top where the man looked slightly offended. "After that…well, I'll need to look through the books."

"No problem!" Liz nodded and took Alfred's hand. "Come with me and I'll give you a nice scrub. I'll make it feel good, okay?"

Alfred chuckled. "Oh well, I feel like I'm going to get some _special_ treatment."

Liz laughed and nudged him. "Stop it, you tease. I'm a married woman."

"Tsk." Alfred clicked his tongue and Arthur wished dearly that Alfred could see the glare he was shooting into the back of the American's head. Instead Arthur sat down in the chair to wait for the two of them as he flipped through the hair styles to find ones he particularly liked. He picked out a couple and decided to Liz on her opinion on what would do.

When Alfred came back and was sat down in the chair his hair was clean and smelled great. Arthur had the temptation to run his hand through it but decided to wait until the hair had been cut shorter. At the moment he looked far too related to Francis for his liking. His hair was a darker brown when wet and it was pushed back away from his face. Liz came back and placed the black cloth over Alfred's form to stop any hair from falling down his shirt before making the chair rise until it was at easy cutting level. Arthur moved in front of Alfred to gaze at him full in the face since the first time he had met him. Alfred had a strong jaw that seemed almost like it would be square if not for the fact that he still looked childish. His lips were thin but not as thin as Arthur's (and Arthur already knew that he had no problem with the man's lips) and his eye lashes were actually quite long. Without the glasses on he looked younger and more his age rather than the Clark Kent man that he tried to look with the glasses on. With his hair not in his face Arthur realized that Alfred was actually a rather handsome young man.

"So do you have ideas?" Liz asked and Arthur nodded before handing her the book to point out the ones he liked. Liz flipped through them and thought about it before glancing at Alfred. "Hm…I kind of like that third one you picked out. It would suit him but maybe with a bit more adjustments."

"What do you mean?" Liz led Arthur over to the front of Alfred and grabbed his hair between her fingers to show the length.

"Like, maybe more like how Captain America looked in that new movie? Only instead of slicked we can leave it kind of hanging in his face?"

"I don't know if I like it that long-"

"Oh man, Captain America! We're totally doing it that way! I remember the way his hair looked and we have _got_ to do it that way! I would look so cool in it!" Alfred cut in, excited for the first time since they had arrived.

Arthur groaned and shot Liz a look that said "you just _had_ to mention superheroes, didn't you?" Liz shrugged apologetically. "Really now, Alfred, does it have to be that?"

"Hey, it's _my_ hair so I'm choosing."

"You can't even see what it'll look like on you. What if you look stupid?"

"I trust you guys won't let that happen." Alfred grinned. "Besides, it'll grow back. Who's gonna insult a blind guy on his hair style?"

"He has a point." Liz agreed, ruffling Alfred's hair before she grabbed a comb to begin to brush the man's hair out. "How about this, Arthur, I'll keep the cut I told you but I'll shorten it a bit in the front and make the cut more diagonal so that it only hangs on his forehead and not over his eye, okay? That'll give him a more sophisticated look and it somewhat goes with his jacket."

Arthur sighed, defeated. "That's fine." He waved. If he had to he could slick back Alfred's hair for the night he played. He pulled out his phone in order to do a bit of work while the hair got cut. After a few minutes Alfred held out his glasses, apparently tired of holding them. Arthur took them and gazed at them, putting his phone away. "Alfred, why do you wear these anyhow?"

"I got them before I went blind and I don't know, I always thought they looked pretty good on me even though I need a stronger prescription now." He laughed at his joke.

"I see." Arthur continued to fiddle with them as he watched as chunk after chunk of Alfred's drying hair came off. Arthur was rather mesmerized as Alfred's face became more exposed. Alfred closed his eyes and hummed to himself as his fingers drummed the armrests to a beat only he knew. Liz worked expertly and quickly as she moved around his head and carefully cut his fringe to the perfect style. After half an hour when she finished Alfred's hair was cut to be about an inch long in the back. Liz ruffled his dry hair with her hands and brushed off his neck before pulling the cloth off and flicking it out.

"What do you think, Arthur?" She asked and turned Alfred for the British man to look at him. Arthur stared, impressed with the transformation. No longer did Alfred look like he belonged from _Tarzan_ and instead he looked like a young fighter pilot in the jacket he wore. He just needed the aviator goggles on his head and such a costume would be perfect. Arthur could feel himself falling all over again for Alfred and this time because of his looks. It didn't even matter if he was a little chubby (he really needed to get Alfred to stop eating all of that burger shit).

"Wonderful." Arthur said and stood as Alfred did and helped brush him off some. Alfred ran his own hands into his hair and Arthur resisted following after them.

"Wow, I forgot what it was like to have my hair this light!" He laughed. Arthur decided he needed to get Alfred out of there quickly.

"Thank you very much, Liz." He told her and pulled out his money in order to pay for Alfred's haircut. He led Alfred by his hand and called for Eddie. The dog had been waiting patiently since the children had gone now and happily joined them. "Have a good day!" He and Alfred both called after Liz told them to do so as well. Arthur hurried Alfred along the sidewalk a ways before he tugged him into an alleyway and out of passing eyes.

"Whoa, what's the hurry Arthur?" Alfred asked.

"This." Arthur reached and ran one hand into Alfred's short hair. It felt smooth and glossy against his fingers and his moaned softly before he pressed forward and kiss the man, gripping the hair. Alfred grunted in surprise but wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist to hold their bodies together as Arthur kissed him ferociously. He forced Alfred's lips apart and closed his eyes as he dominated the younger boy. He never realized just how attractive Alfred was and personally he was glad he hadn't. He had fallen first for Alfred's talent and then his personality and finding out that Alfred was good-looking on top of that just added the chocolate sauce to the sundae. He felt like he could indulge a bit and certainly Alfred wasn't complaining.

* * *

Alfred couldn't be scheduled to play until mid June and it was during that time Arthur found himself working on the piano. He was tuning it up for Alfred's show in a little while and he began to wonder if he was more nervous than Alfred himself was. He hadn't seen Alfred at all in the last week as the man made final preparations for the songs he wanted to play and he refused to see Arthur at all. Matthew had to promise Arthur that he would make sure Alfred looked appropriate for the night and had given the man a free seat. Arthur wished that he could see his boyfriend before the show wanting to give him a good luck or _something_ but Alfred absolutely did not want to have anything to do with Arthur before the show.

Arthur cursed angrily but finished tuning the piano to work correctly before he hopped off of the stage and moved out into the lounge area. The concessions stand held Gilbert where he was finishing his preparations and last minute cleanings were being done by the staff. "Are we already?" He asked nervously.

"Calm down, Arthur." Gilbert said with a roll of his eyes. "Everything will go perfect for your little boyfriend. Hey, who is he anyway? Liz said he's blind. You sure he can play?"

Arthur shot him a scathing glare which had Gilbert flinch back. "Of course he can play. He plays some of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard."

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to offend or anything." Arthur ignored him and instead moved on, seeing as the time was right.

"Let them in!" He called and moved to go sit in the front rows in the orchestra area where he knew he would have a good seat. Soon after others began flowing in to take their favourite seats. Many families went upstairs just for the experience of being up there. Arthur tapped on his seat, his eyes glued to the piano. He wished people would move faster but they still had another half hour before the lights would die down the show would begin. Arthur wondered what Alfred would be wearing. He hoped it wouldn't be that bomber jacket again but Arthur hadn't seen Alfred in anything but that so far. Alfred hated the cold so much that he was determined to wear that large jacket until it began to warm up more and apparently the sixties wasn't considered warm to him.

A person took a seat next to him and Arthur turned his head to meet a very unwelcome sight. "Well, look who finally decided to come back and do his fucking job." He told his boss, Francis.

"Oh shut it, _mon ami_. You know my job is a lot harder than yours. I have to go out and find new talent to play here all of the time." Francis sniffed. He was dressed in a button-up that exposed a part of his hairy chest and had a red rose sitting in the pocket. His coat was resting in his lap. Arthur himself was dressed fully in a suit, always prepared to look his best and considering his outfit to practically be a uniform by this point in time.

"Ha! Well I'm the one who has to run this damn place all of the time!"

"You love it." He accused.

"I do, but I find working under you dreadful."

"You would not if it was in the right _circumstances_."

Arthur scowled at the man. "Stop that. I have a boyfriend now. If you so much as touch me I will maim you."

"And then I will fire you."

"You can't find anyone to replace me, you frog."

"Oh, I did miss you dearly. Now who is this boyfriend of yours? He's the one playing tonight, correct?"

"Someone you should be familiar with. I was told he was your cousin."

Francis gasped. "Matthew?"

"No, the other one."

"Alfred?" Arthur nodded. Francis looked impressed but a bit confused. "You do know about-"

"Yes, of course." Arthur snapped. "It's difficult not to figure it out."

"Right, well, at least you chose a good one." Francis relaxed back into his seat, pleased.

Arthur gazed at him curiously. "If you knew he was a good player, why didn't you ever ask him to play?"

"Because he didn't have the confidence. When he became blind he went into a very dark place. No pun intended, of course, but the fact that he has fallen in love with playing again so deeply to actually accept your offer to play here it rather astounding." Arthur turned his head back to the stage, frowning. Did Alfred really fall into such a pit of despair? He didn't seem like the type. But then again he also didn't seem the type to overdose enough on pills to make his self blind either.

The lights began to dim and the chatter in the hall quieted down to nothing. Silence permeated as the lights brightened onto the stage and footsteps were heard. Arthur's heart beat in his ears and he adjusted his cuff links nervously. He couldn't hear Alfred's cane and he most certainly knew that Eddie would not be here. Arthur had told Alfred specifically that he couldn't allow Eddie onto the stage with him. What if Alfred made a fool of himself by wandering around for the piano? What if he came too close to the stage? Why wasn't he using his cane? But it seemed his worries were unneeded as Alfred made his way expertly over to the piano. He was dressed magnificently in a suit that fit him tightly but perfectly with a silver frilled shirt and a midnight blue bowtie with black suit. Francis beside him murmured in appreciation and surprise. Arthur could only stare as Alfred smiled professionally out at the audience as if he actually could see them and bowed. His glasses were not upon his face so his blue eyes shined brilliantly. Arthur was left breathless.

Beside him another person took a seat and Arthur was startled out of his staring as Matthew whispered in his ear, "That was our dad's tuxedo that he bought when he first played here." He informed him. Arthur turned his head slightly to Matthew to show he was listening but kept watching as Alfred took his seat on the bench and set his hands upon the keys. A tense silence was held in the air shortly before Alfred began to play his first piece. Immediately Arthur didn't recognize it but he was moved. It was slow and sorrowful piece. It told a story that Arthur didn't know about. It was dark and painful and made his chest ache, wanting to grab his heart and hold onto it for protection. A part of him wanted to cry and the other part want to run away from it all. He wanted to curl up in his bed and close his eyes and never open them. From where he could see Alfred's eyes were closed and scrunched together in concentration as he moved with his piece, his face expression his emotions and Arthur knew that it wasn't only him feeling this pain.

The piece was extraordinarily long, extending a good ten minutes before it came to a stop. Nobody clapped but then again nobody was supposed to. They were listening to a story, after all, and this was only the small break between chapters. Alfred gathered himself again and began to play his next piece. This one was still dark but as the song continued it lightened. Acceptance, was the feeling Arthur experienced. This part of the song was accepting the terrible feelings from before and he now was moving past them into something careful, and fearful, tentative, but something he wanted to touch. He closed his eyes and imagined what it was that Alfred could possibly be playing about.

This song was short and ended only to be quickly overtaken by the next song with only a short pause. This next one was happier and light-hearted. If Arthur had to describe it then it would be like seeing the sun again after days on silent snowfall that suffocated everything. A new light and a new time dawned. Hope filled his chest and he could feel now that Alfred played for someone. This part of the song was about two people instead of one. Selfishly he thought himself to be the other person. The song sounded like spring.

The next song was slow at first. It was romantic, stirring feelings in his chest Arthur was too embarrassed to think about. The song was warm and velvety to listen to. Eventually it began to speed up into a fast tempo. The loving feelings transformed into something more animalistic and Arthur had to open his eyes in order to not picture rather naughty things. He had listened to enough piano music to know which emotions came from what songs and this part of the song was certainly not just love but also laced thickly with lust. He could see Alfred's body moving fluidly and roughly on the piano, pounding on it and the pedals in perfect timing. Arthur swallowed and calmed himself as the song ended slowly and transitioned into a new song. This one was still romantic but slow. It was timid and questioning the world. It told of unsure feelings and questioned the world around it as if this was completely a dream. Arthur felt tears in his eyes. The sonata sang of happy feelings but there was blind future ahead.

It ended there before Arthur knew it and Alfred removed his hands from the piano and sighed gently. He didn't move for a long moment. Arthur was the first to stand and the rest of the crowd followed after quickly, applause creating a roar in the hall. Alfred lifted his head and looked out at the hall before grinning and standing tall from his seat. He bowed deeply looking as pleased as a man could be before he stood up straight and walked off of the stage. Arthur quickly began to move out into the rows before calling to Francis in a stage whisper, "You deal with the rest tonight!" and rushed off to go meet Alfred in the back.

Alfred had his cane in his hand as he navigated his way towards the back door when Arthur saw him. "Alfred!" He called and the man turned quickly with a wide grin on his face.

"Artie!" He yelled and Arthur ran over to his arms, slamming him into a hug. Alfred grunted but met Arthur's hug enthusiastically, pulling him into the air and spinning him. "Oh man, did you hear them? They loved it! They loved it!"

"I know. I know, Alfred, I was in the audience as well." Arthur kissed him. "You did wonderfully. What were those songs? I've never heard any of them!"

"I should hope not!" Alfred said and took Arthur's hand in his. "I made them myself." Arthur gaped at him.

"You lie!"

"I don't!" Alfred laughed and Arthur led them out the back door. "That's what I've been doing all week!"

"Alfred, those pieces were gorgeous."

"Thank you. I had great inspiration." He kissed Arthur's knuckle and Arthur flushed realizing everything in a delayed fashion.

"_Oh._"

"But there's still ONE part that hasn't been played yet." He hinted.

"I understand. My car is just around the corner."

"Holy shit, do you realize how much I love you?"

"Save it, love. We have business to attend to." He kissed Alfred one more time and led him quickly to his car.

* * *

"This is my home." Arthur said as they entered his home. It wasn't extravagant but it was wonderful for a two bedroom/one bathroom apartment.

"Wow! It's beautiful!"

"That's not funny."

"…It's a pigsty?"

"Bloody hell, will you quit your jokes and come here right now?" He tugged Alfred over to the bed and fell back onto it, pulling Alfred down with him. Alfred yelped fearfully and caught himself with a gasp above Arthur.

"Shit Artie, careful please. You made me feel like I was falling to my death."

"S'ry" Arthur murmured and kissed the underside of his jaw roughly. The effect of Alfred's playing was still in his system and rang in his ears. He felt his body moving in accordance to the stanzas and the notes. Alfred sighed as Arthur trailed kisses down his neck and nipped as he pulled off his tie. His own hands fumbled onto Arthur's shirt and hastily unbuttoned it, pushing both it and the jacket off and onto the bed as Arthur worked at Alfred's own shirt.

"Shit…shit, wait." Alfred breathed and pushed Arthur back onto the bed. Arthur gave him annoyed look but realized the effect was lost on him.

"What?" He demanded.

"Wait, I…well, I wanna know what you look like Arthur." Arthur's eyes looked at the mess that was Alfred's shirt and saw that it was half hanging off of him and wanted nothing more than to rip it off of him. But he knew that the suit was precious and unfortunately he couldn't be as wild as he wanted to be.

"Okay." Arthur said and sat up as Alfred sat back onto his knees. He took Alfred's hands and kissed both of their palms before licking up one of the fingers to suck on it. Alfred inhaled sharply and yanked Arthur to him to kiss the first thing his lips found, which was luckily his forehead. He quickly moved to kiss his boyfriend's lips.

"Stop teasing." He said, his voice distinctly lower now with arousal. "I'm trying to concentrate here."

Arthur laughed a bit. "Alright." He brought Alfred's hands to his face and closed his eyes. Alfred's hands moved slowly and lightly, memorizing the feeling of Arthur's face and building a picture within his mind. His forefinger traced Arthur's lips and Arthur shivered, pressing closer to his lover's form to remove the rest of the buttons. The clothing hung on Alfred's form waiting to be removed as the younger man continued to explore. His hands went up into Arthur's hair to feel it. He followed a couple of strands to feel how long they were before following the hair down the back of his neck. Arthur pressed closer to kiss Alfred chest and opened his eyes to realize that Alfred was most certainly _not_ fat like he had previously expected. In fact, he was quite toned. It appeared that his clothing was just baggy on him. "Fuck…" he groaned softly, his pants tightening some as his hands ran over the American's chest. Alfred was just full of surprises. This was the cherry on top of the sundae and Arthur was officially happy with his life.

"Hey Arthur, what color is your hair?" Alfred whispered, kissing the top of Arthur's hair before his hands flowed up the man's neck and back to his face.

"I'm blonde." Arthur replied.

"That's hot. And your eyes?" Arthur was about to respond when he stopped as Alfred paused at his eyebrows and rubbed them. "…You've-"

"I swear to god Alfred, if you say it I will leave you fucking high and dry." Arthur threatened knowing exactly what he was going to say. Alfred laughed loudly but listened and didn't comment on Arthur's eyebrows. "And I have green eyes."

"Blonde hair and green eyes." Alfred murmured and he squinted as if squinting would help him see better. Arthur kissed his nose, cheeks, eyes, and then lips as he pulled Alfred's hands away from his face and laid the two of them back down. Their lips parted together and Arthur wrapped his arms around his lover's neck to press their chests flush together as Alfred's hands tucked under Arthur's body to run up his back. He shivered and for a moment he wondered if this is what it felt like to be a piano when Alfred played. His fingers moved softly but confidently across his body, touching all of the right places to make Arthur voice his pleasure. His head dipped into Arthur's neck and nipped it once before he kissed the hollow of his ear. Arthur's back arched, feeling the teeth on his ear and moaned, flipping over to press himself back against Alfred.

"Ah god…" He breathed and Alfred's fingers danced down his chest and stomach to grope the front of his pants. "Mmmnn..."

"Arthur." Alfred murmured and pressed a kiss to his shoulder as he rubbed circles into the front of Arthur's pants. "Jesus, I wish I could see you right now." He whispered sorrowfully, flipping Arthur over again and pressing him into the mattress, squinting in an effort to look at the impossible.

"Stop that." Arthur said and took his face into his hands. "Don't think such things. I'm not much to look at anyway."

"You _feel_ amazing, Artie. If you look half as good as you feel then I'd have to say that you're way too good to be hanging out with a blind guy like me." Alfred joked and Arthur pulled Alfred down onto him again to kiss him furiously.

"Too many people have tried to date me because of my looks. The fact that you love me enough without even knowing what I look like means all of the world to me." He told him and flipped them so that he straddled Alfred. Alfred grinned at him and ran his hands down Arthur's arms starting from his shoulders and following the appendage until his hands lay on top of his lover's. He then moved to begin undoing his pants as Arthur leaned forward to leave vicious love marks on his chest. Alfred hissed as Arthur bit his nipple and then wiggled pleasurably as it was sucked upon apologetically. With the pants undone Arthur quickly rolled off to pull them and his underwear off. "Alfred, take off your pants. I'll be right back."

"Got it!" Alfred cried cheerfully and Arthur climbed off of the bed in order to rush into the bathroom. He tossed about in the medicine cabinet until he came across his box of condoms and a tube of lube. He grabbed two of the condoms (he didn't know if there would be a second round and he really didn't want to have to get back up to go get another one if there would be) and hurried back into the bedroom to find Alfred sitting with his legs spread casually and relaxing back on his hands. Arthur allowed himself this moment to take in everything that he saw and although he would never say this to Alfred he praised the heavens that he was given sight in order to see this delicious god in front of him. Alfred's head turned as he heard Arthur enter the room and grinned. "Got everything?"

Arthur swallowed a groan and climbed back onto the bed and kissed him. "Yes." He pushed the man back onto the bed. Alfred' hands immediately came up to explore the new skin exposed to him, his hand running over Arthur's cock and testicles before moving to his thighs and tracing the insides of them. Arthur's body unconsciously spread the legs further apart as the hands trailed back up and around the back to grip Arthur's bottom. Arthur kissed him again, forcing apart the man's mouth as they aligned themselves. As Alfred's hands touched every single part of Arthur's body that he could possibly reach, Arthur's hands dipped in between them to grab their penises and rub them together. The two of them were already slick with sweat. Arthur closed his eyes and allowed his sense of touch to take over to bring him all that much closer to Alfred.

"Arthur…" He pulled away to suck on his neck. The younger boy's hips began to move in time to Arthur's jerking and rubbing. Arthur could tell it wouldn't be long for him now. "Stop it or else…fuck it feels so good!" Alfred's hands dropped away to grip the covers instead, giving up on searching for purchase on Arthur's slick back. He threw his head back. Arthur didn't bother to stop, instead speeding up. He moaned against Alfred's neck and felt the man's sharp inhale and the tensing of his body before he climaxed, his hips arching. Arthur released himself to take Alfred on fully, milking him completely to his end. It was only when the man's hips completely dropped back onto the bed did he sit up and release him.

Alfred panted from his exertion as Arthur considered his next move. He gazed over Alfred's satiated body and considered taking it for his own but also thought about his urge to have a cock inside him for the first time in a while. He craved that thought but he would need to get Alfred back up first. It wouldn't be difficult considering when one was blind his other senses were heightened. Maybe sensitivity was as well? "Alfred." He called and kissed his lover as his fingers ran through the semen on the man's stomach. "I want you to top this time."

Alfred sat up on his elbows. "Are you sure? I mean I don't mind being the bottom considering the circumstances…"

"If you mean the fact that you're blind then that doesn't matter to me. I'll lead you so don't worry." Alfred still looked unsure but he nodded. "Here, you sit up then." Alfred sat up and Arthur took the younger man's place before handing him the tube of lube. "You know what to do, right?"

"Haha, I've been into guys long enough to have watched a decent amount of gay porn before I went blind Artie." Alfred chuckled and popped open the container. "So yeah. Spread your legs for me." Arthur adjusted his position and lifted his legs onto Alfred's shoulders as he spread them. Alfred closed his eyes again and groaned as he imagined the scene. "Fuck you look so hot right now."

"So do you, darling." He crooned back and Alfred searched for just a moment before he found Arthur's entrance and pushed a slicked up finger inside. Arthur forced his body to relaxed and sighed before a second one was added. He was glad he had played with his toys for a while so that he didn't have to go through the complete discomfort of his body not remembering what it was like to be penetrated. Alfred stretched his fingers inside and pushed them in until he was knuckle-deep. Arthur gasped as he wiggled the fingers and lifted his hips slightly, trying to help him find his sweet spot and stop his teasing. When it was found he moaned loudly in relief. The pressure was already built inside of him begging to be released.

"So lewd." Alfred sang with a smirk.

"Belt up." Arthur panted and thrusted himself upwards. "Will you get on with it? Are you hard enough yet or do you just plan on playing with my ass all evening?"

"You make it sound so tempting, baby." Alfred laughed and kissed him. "But I want to actually be in you." He pulled his fingers out and groped for the discarded lube. Arthur grabbed it and handed both the lube and the condom to him. Alfred ripped open the condom with his teeth before sliding it on and slicking himself up. His hand jerked himself a couple times as he moaned before he finally positioned himself. Arthur gave him an annoyed look for teasing for so long but knew that the effect was lost on him. "Tell me everything that makes you feel good, okay?" He commanded.

"Hmph. Cocky, aren't you? Alright." Alfred pushed in slowly and in a concentrated manner, his eyes closed tightly. Arthur followed suit, lifting his hips to match his thrust so as to get Alfred as deep as possible within him. He pulled out slowly as well, testing everything and feeling everything. A silent noise escaped his lips and Arthur opened his eyes to watch him. "Go faster." He begged after a few more moments of this. Alfred nodded and sped up his pace. He was unsure about everything and it made Arthur come to understand that this was the first time the man had sex since before he had become blind. "Alfred, do what you want to me." He whispered. "You don't need to see to make me feel good."

Alfred released his restraints then and decided to go at his own pace. He leaned forward more and bent Arthur more into a U-shape before he began to pound into him. Arthur cried out in pleasure. "Oh fuck yes." Alfred said. "Just like that, Arthur!" Arthur reached behind him to grab his pillow and grip it, lifting his hips desperately as they both found the perfect tempo at which to play. Arthur could almost hear the music Alfred had played earlier. They had arrived at his animalistic sonata piece and Arthur was determined to make it end just as beautifully as Alfred's fingers had played it. The solo had become the duet and Arthur sobbed once happily and growled pulling Alfred closer to crash their lips together awkwardly.

"Alfred! Oh god, Alfred!" He wouldn't last and he knew it. His legs slipped from Alfred's shoulders and the man held them in the crooks of his arms. Arthur gripped the bed and lifted his hips with each thrust to match his lover. His own hand slipped between them to grab himself to rub but found he couldn't support his body at just the right angle he needed while doing that and so allowed his hand to fall away. Not two minutes later he felt his flood doors burst and he cried out as his body stiffened and he released. A haze filtered in his mind pleasurably as Alfred continued his movement. Arthur made sure to keep his body moving to coax his lover towards his second ending. Next time, he promised himself, Alfred will have to make him come twice. Alfred kissed Arthur's thigh as if agreeing to Arthur's thought before his climax arrived for a second and more violent time.

The heat slowed and cooled some as Alfred lowered Arthur's legs back to the bed and he pulled himself out. He rolled over onto his back but yelped when he rolled onto the lube. Cursing he pushed it off of the bed and worked off his condom. Arthur watched him in an amused manner and was slightly impressed when the man managed to tie it off. Arthur took it for him and threw it away before Alfred grabbed him and pulled him to his body and rolled them onto the bed in a kiss. "Did that live up to your expectations?" He asked as he littered Arthur's face with kisses.

Arthur laughed at the kissing and shoved him away. "Stop that. Yes, that was wonderful. Your song was spot on."

"Really? I thought the sex was _much _better than the song. I'll have to up it a bit. Give it two climaxes." He wiggled his eyebrows. Arthur groaned and grabbed the covers.

"You're ridiculous."

"So you've told me." He crawled to the top of the bed and curled against him. "Next time will be better, I swear."

"Well next time I'm topping so it most certainly will be better."

"That was cruel, man."

"Just kiss me and shut the hell up."

"I'll kiss you, but I won't shut up." Arthur met his lips and kissed his happily, wrapping his arms around his neck.

They both closed their eyes and rested their foreheads against each other exhausted and rested for a bit before Arthur asked, "So our song is coming out quite well."

"Hahaha, that's right." Alfred agreed.

"Which movement do you think we're in right now? The fifth? Ridiculously far in like the thirty-first?"

Alfred laughed again and opened his eyes and met Arthur's. For a moment he thought that Alfred was looking directly at him and decided that maybe Alfred was –he was just looking into Arthur's soul instead of his physical self instead. "The thirty-first? Hahaha Artie, this is barely the first movement!"

* * *

**A/N: WOW THAT TOOK WAY TOO FUCKING LONG.**

**I got inspired to do this one-shot by a usuk picture that had Alfred playing the piano at some kind of concert and Arthur was tuning the piano and there were two other pictures but I can't for the life of me remember what. I wish I remembered where the picture was. ;n; If anybody happens to know then thank you.**

**This thing is about 15,000 words long and 41 pages. Holy jesus titty crisis. I'm going off to do my chores now.**

**Please review!**

**Update 6/11/13: Thanks to El Tord I now have found the post from where I originally got my inspiration. *happy as hell***

**This is the link (naturally without spaces) and I want to thank the original artist (sadly I can't tell where the artist's name is) and the poster: uhohhetalia .tumblr post /48934421101 / usukpicz**


End file.
